Rayman: The Descent of Shadow
by CO Cheddar
Summary: A sequel to Amulet of Janus that takes place 20 years after the last story. Rated PG-13 for Violence, Dark Thematic Elements and Swearing.
1. The Watcher

AN: Hello, guys and gals! This is a sequel to "Amulet of Janus" with a bit of a twist. Anyway, I don't own the Rayman series or any characters in this story so far except for Fenris. Also, I know that my first chapter is very open ended, but I'll explain things soon. And here it is…

Prologue: The Watcher

It was a peaceful morning in the fairy glade. It was far too early for any animals to be up, but that didn't stop a lone Teensie from taking a walk in the forest. He enjoyed getting up early so he could take his morning walks interrupted and not be bothered by any animals in the area. He was so intent in the scenery that he never noticed the watcher behind his back… until it was too late. 

A hooded figure emerged from the brush, sneaking behind the Teensie and placing a hand on its back. It gasped in horror as a strange purple light began to envelop it, draining its life away. 

"That's right, friend." The strange figure said soothingly. "Sleep."

Barely hearing the man's words, the Teensie crumpled on the ground in a heap. At that, the figure took off its hood and stepped into the open. 

Fenris the Watcher looked a lot like an ordinary human. He was a rather tall man, with jet black hair and arctic blue eyes that made him look strangely handsome. He wore a brown cloak and a silver brooch around his neck, and carried a strange gray staff at his side. He also was a very patient man, and his face radiated eternal calm. But there was something strangely inhuman about him that could only be detected by looking in his eyes; Fenris' dark blue eyes burned with a strange fire that seemed to peer into the souls of all they observed. 

It had been twenty-five years since Fenris had landed on the planet; he had watched the inhabitants of the world in their daily lives, always watching and never being seen. Of all the creatures, Fenris was the most interested in Rayman, the self-proclaimed guardian of this world. He was fascinated with the strange hero; he had been watching him wherever he went, keeping track of the hero as he saved the world from all who had threatened it, even the Dark Lord Janus. The small warrior was his only obstacle in his conquest of the world. 

Interrupting his thoughts for a moment, Fenris turned to look at the body of the Teensie whose soul he had destroyed. His life energy had provided sustenance for him, but it was not enough. The Shadow Curse that had been placed on him long ago was slowly killing him, and he needed more energy to keep himself alive. 

"Arise." Fenris said to the Teensie on the ground. Animated by strange powers, the Teensie rose from the ground and turned towards the Watcher with dead eyes.

"Yes, Lord Fenris." It droned. "I only exist to serve you." 

"Good." Fenris said. "Now, come along." Saying this, he went forward into the interior of the Glade. It was this day that he would finally reveal himself… and this day that the planet would become his.


	2. The Fall of Light

AN: Yes, I'm fully aware that this chapter may get me a lot of hate mail. Why, you ask? You'll find out soon enough… Anyway, you know who I own and don't own by now, so why don't I just start the story?

Chapter 1: Light and Shadow

As the day unfolded, the sunlight of the morning shone on the small circle of dwellings on the outskirts of the Glade. Inside one of them, a limbless woman sat on a cot, lovingly cradling her newborn son in her arms. A group of other people sat around her in a circle, looking at her and the baby in her arms. 

"It's such a beautiful baby." A fairy said in awe. "Have you thought of a name for him yet?"

Orchid laughed. "No, Ly, I didn't have any time! I was up all night to get him to stop crying! Let me tell you, taking care of a child is much harder than you would think!" 

A pink, froglike woman shook her head. "Not me. I've had hundreds of kids, so I would know how hard it is better than anyone!"

"Me too!" Globox, Uglette's husband, said. "It gets really hard taking care of them all, especially when they all want to play! I've been overwhelmed by those kids before, let me tell you!"

Orchid wasn't listening. This was a wonderful moment for her, and she only wished that Rayman were there to share it with her. But his strength was needed, and he had answered the call. Rayman had been worried about her ever since Teensies had been disappearing, and today he had heard of another disappearance. As much as he hated to leave her so vulnerable, he had to see what was happening so the inhabitants of the Glade didn't panic. She sighed, hoping that there was nothing to worry about and Rayman would return soon…

"Don't worry, Orchid." Ly told her, noticing how upset she looked. "We'll all be fine now that Rayman is out looking for them. As a matter of fact…"

Ly was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming towards their dwelling. "… I'm sure that's him right now!" She finished, a slow smile creeping onto her face.

Orchid, anxious to see her husband, gently rose to her feet with her child in her arms. "Rayman, is that you? I'm so glad to…"

The sight that greeted her froze her blood. A black haired man stood before her, seeming to peer into her soul with his deep blue eyes. Although he was a handsome man, a slightly sinister aura surrounded him, making him seem so inhuman. Flanking him were a group of Teensies who stared blankly ahead with dead eyes. 

"Who… who are you? What do you want here?" Orchid asked the stranger.

"You must be Rayman's wife." The stranger said, smiling. "Although your husband is not in right now, can we make ourselves at home?"

*******

The search had proven fruitless for Rayman and Orion. They had been up since the Teensie had gone missing and explored every corner of the forest, but to no avail. Rayman stared at the spot where the Teensie's tracks ended and all traces of the creature disappeared.

"I don't understand this." Rayman muttered to himself. "There's no sign of a struggle; that Teensie just disappeared into thin air!"

"I wish I knew what was going on myself." Orion said. "I don't know what's been making them disappear, but it can't be natural. The only way this Teensie could just disappear is with magic."

Rayman frowned. He had hoped that after he and Orion defeated Janus five years ago the world would be at peace. But lately, the Teensie disappearances had had the Glade in a state just short of panic. He had come out here to try to find what was happening, but he ended up at this dead end, looking for something that wasn't there. 

"We don't have to stay here if there's nothing to find, you know." Orion said simply. "We could just go back to the dwellings."

Although Rayman tried to look like he was still upset, the prospect of going back to see Orchid and their new son. He felt terrible about not being there for her, and hoped that he would be able to return soon.

"Well, alright." He muttered. "I guess we should go back and tell them that we couldn't find anything. Let's go!" 

Orion chuckled as he followed his friend. "You aren't fooling me for an instant, you know. I know that you just want to go back and see her. Isn't that true?" Dodging the fist that Rayman swung at him, Orion only began to laugh harder. "I knew it; I was right!" 

*******

Inside the village, Rayman had a feeling that something was wrong. The sky, that had been bright when they were in the forest, had suddenly darkened, the sun obscured by clouds. The eerie silence also made him nervous; in normal conditions, there should have been at least a few people to greet them after their expedition. He knew that something was wrong.

"Hello?" He yelled. "Is there anyone here?" 

Finally, he saw a Teensie with its back turned away from his. He immediately noticed him as the one who had disappeared earlier that day. 

"You're alright!" Rayman said, relieved. "Don't scare us like that again! We thought that something had happened to you!"

The Teensie did not respond. "Are you alright?" Rayman asked worriedly. "Why aren't you…"

The Teensie suddenly turned around, peering at Rayman with cold, dead eyes. Turning around, he found that he was surrounded by other Teensies with the same vacant look in their eyes. 

"Well, you must be Rayman. I've been waiting for you."

The speaker was a tall, handsome man with piercing blue eyes and black hair. Behind him, Orchid and their son sat frightened, along with the rest of the village's inhabitants, watching the impending confrontation between the two. Stunned by the man's sudden appearance, Rayman said the first thing that came to his mind. "How do you know my name? Who… who are you?"

The man smiled. "My name is Fenris. I have been watching you and the others on your planet for twenty years. You're quite an interesting specimen, Rayman. Your exploits in the name of your people are really quite amazing." 

Staring at the zombified Teensies, Rayman felt his surprise turn into bitter loathing. "You… what did you do to them?" He spat.

"I destroyed their souls." Fenris replied. "That, in turn, let me draw their life force into myself. I need their energies to survive, you see. Have you ever heard of the Shadow Curse?"

Rayman shook his head. 

"Then take a look at this." Turning around, Fenris took off his robe. Rayman gasped in horror at what he saw there. Fenris' back was hideous, covered with a festering mass of ooze that had dissolved all of the skin on his back.

"It's not a pretty sight, is it?" Fenris asked, with the utmost seriousness. "The Living Death that was placed upon me is slowly killing me from the inside out. The ooze that you saw is a manifestation of the Curse's potency; as the curse grows in power, it covers more and more of my body. You wouldn't be able to imagine the pain that I feel constantly. In order to keep myself from dying this way, I need souls. I need their life essence! Don't you see?"

Although shocked by Fenris' ferocity and the horrors he had seen, Rayman stood his ground. "I don't know what you feel, but I do know this; you have no right to take the lives of the people of this planet! I won't let you!"

"So it has come to this." Fenris whispered, slowly picking up his staff. "I challenge you, Rayman. I challenge you to a fight to the death in this very spot. Let us see how capable you are of protecting your people."

Rayman nodded, picking up his staff as well. "I accept."

A slow smile crept upon Fenris' face. Suddenly, he rushed at Rayman, raining blows upon him with his gray staff. Rayman tried to fight off this barrage, but the strange man seemed to be in so many places at once, never relenting for an instant. It seemed that he would succumb to Fenris' ferocity…

Suddenly, Rayman shot a bolt of energy out of his staff, knocking Fenris off his feet. Grunting, the man rose from the ground, clutching his staff with a vice grip. Suddenly, he thrust at Rayman with his staff, turning it into a strange, shadowy substance before it hit the hero's body. Rayman found himself surrounded by tentacles of shadow that squeezed him, trying to strangle the life out of his body.

"I… won't… arrrgh!" At that, the warrior started to thrash at the coils surrounding his body. Although some of them disintigrated, the rest remained, threatening to smother him in darkness. Knowing that he had only one chance to survive, Rayman shot a bolt of energy directly at Fenris' staff, causing it to explode into flames. As the tentacles all disappeared, Rayman stood there, gasping for breath and staring at his adversary.

Fenris stood there for a second, saying nothing. Suddenly, a change went over the man. His skin began to turn darker and more shadowy, slowly molding like clay into a new shape. Soon, Rayman found himself staring at a large, wolflike creature with blue eyes. Roaring at him, the wolf charged, slashing at Rayman with its claws. 

This new assault surprised Rayman; it seemed that Fenris always had a new trick up his sleeve. Attacking Fenris wildly with his staff, Rayman soon found that it had little effect against the creature of shadow before him. Weakened and gravely wounded, he picked up his staff and concentrated the power inside of him into a huge blast of pure magical energy. The shadowy wolf was thrown back by the force of the blow, molding its body back into the humanoid form of Fenris. 

"Get up, Fenris." Rayman said fiercely, standing before his foe. 

Fenris said nothing, lying perfectly still. Suddenly, the man thrust his hand at Rayman, driving a bolt of black energy through his heart. The hero fell to his knees, feeling weak and anemic. 

"What… what was that?" He groaned.

"The Shadow Curse has a greater effect on you than I thought." Fenris said with a twisted grin on his face. "And now, it is time for you to nourish me with your life…"

While he was speaking these words, a prism of the purple energy surrounded Rayman, draining the hero's life essence. Finally, the prism disappeared and the hero lay limp on the floor. Suddenly, a white light enveloped Rayman's body, causing it to disappear. Soon, Rayman, once the greatest hero the world had ever known, disappeared from the mortal plane forever.

The onlookers were shocked and horrified at the death of their hero. Orchid, barely restraining her tears, gave a mournful cry. 

"Rayman! No!" She sobbed. 

"You!" Orion yelled, barreling at Fenris. The man lifted his hand, knocking the large warrior to the floor effortlessly. 

"And now…" Fenris said, his eyes blazing in triumph. "A new age has begun!"

Note: The story is not over yet. In fact, it has only just begun… 


	3. The Soul Hunters

AN: Here we are, folks; Chapter 3! Remember, I only own Fenris, Orion and Kevin; no one else. Also, there will be swearing past this point, although nothing too severe. Now, here it is…

Chapter 2: The Soul Hunters

Ly ran through the dead forest like a bolt of lightning. Stopping behind the shade of a tree, she placed her ear to the ground, listening for the sounds of any pursuers. Satisfied that she had lost the Hunters, Ly dashed towards another tree. Hiding behind its blackened frame, she began to think about everything that had happened to her and where she was to go next.

It had been fifteen years since Fenris had slain Rayman and taken control of their world. During that time, Ly and many others who had evaded Fenris' clutches had lived as wanderers, watching as Fenris slowly killed the world and drained the life of its inhabitants. She had seen lush forests turn into barren clumps of earth, mighty rivers turn into deserts. Even she had changed. 

Although she, like all fairies, never aged physically, that didn't stop her from becoming haggard and worn. All of the horrors she had seen over the past fifteen years had changed her, draining almost all of the humanity out of her and leaving her hopeless and depressed, along with the rest of the world's dwindling population. She had stopped caring about anything but herself, stopped caring about her duties to the world. 

Until a few nights ago, when she had had a strange dream…

Suddenly, she heard a sound that jolted her out of her thoughts. She stood still, feeling her blood run cold as she saw a pair of red eyes approaching through the dark night. Her worst fears had been confirmed; the Soul Hunters had found her.

The Soul Hunter ahead of her was one of a species created by Fenris to find the wanderers that existed in the world and drain their life essence. These nightmarish creatures were constructs of flesh, bone and metal, created from the remains of the dead and animated by Fenris' Dark Magic to serve as disturbingly trackers and killers. Their skin was dark gray, with chrome plates dotting their bodies haphazardly and metallic claws on their arms. Their red eyes could see through the darkest night, and they could hear far better than most. It was whispered that they could smell fear, and their capabilities didn't do much to dissuade that rumor. 

As the Soul Hunter walked towards her, Ly closed her eyes, employing all of the fairy magic inside of her. _I'm a tree,_ she thought, changing her body from flesh to wood. In seconds, the fairy was indistinguishable from the rest of the dead trees in the forest.

The transformation was not accomplished as quickly as Ly would have liked, however. The Soul Hunter lumbered towards her, staring at her intensely. Ly inwardly shuddered upon seeing the creature's grotesque face, but she kept calm on the inside. The creature then took a claw and raked it across her skin, drawing blood that she had disguised as sap. Although the fairy felt the stinging pain, she kept calm, knowing that she would die for any mistake she made. 

The Hunter continued to inspect her, not able to find anything out of the ordinary. Finally, it turned its back for an instant; all the time that Ly needed. Reverting into her normal form, Ly fired a bolt of magical energy at the Hunter, dazing it as she ran away. The lumbering creature ran towards her, but the fairy was much faster than he was and knew the forest far better. 

"Come and catch me if you can!" Ly yelled, sticking her tongue out at it. Suddenly, she fell to the ground, weighted by a net thrown by another Hunter. 

"Damn it!" She hissed as the Hunters surrounded her. She closed her eyes, preparing for death…

Suddenly, one hunter fell to the ground, transfixed by a large arrow. As the other Hunter turned around, a large figure burst into the clearing, pounding at the Hunter with a wooden cudgel. The Hunter was struck many times by the mysterious stranger, it kept its ground and slashed viscously at the man with its razor sharp claws. Shrugging off the gashes in his side, the stranger gave the Hunter a swift kick in the chest, knocking it off balance. As it was stunned, the man raised his cudgel above his head and bludgeoned the Hunter until it went silent. After he was sure that both Hunters were incapacitated, he turned to the trapped fairy. 

"It's been a while, Ly."

"Yes it has, Orion." Ly replied. "We have a lot to catch up on, but can you free me first?"

"Sure thing." Orion grunted, removing the weighted net from the fairy's back. 

"Thanks, Orion." Ly said, giving Orion a rare smile. "I'd be a goner if it weren't for your help." 

"Don't mention it." Orion said, returning the smile. "Now, I'm going to be going back home. Do you want to go with me?"

"Yes, I would." Ly replied. "But how are we going to get there without us tracking us?" 

"Follow me." Orion said, wrapping a piece of cloth around his wound. He led the fairy north until they came to a stream.

"They can't follow us here." He told her. "They can't pick up our trail in the stream." At that, they stepped into the stream and walked inside of it in an easterly direction. Finally, after a few minutes of walking, Ly saw a lantern in the distance. Filled with determination, Ly ran towards the light in order to see what was there. Soul Hunters didn't need light, after all, so it could only be another wanderer.

"Hey, stop right there!" A voice called out to her. "Who are you?"

"It's just me, Orion." Ly's guide replied. "I brought along Ly, a friend of mine."

The man who had spoken to Ly left the shadows, allowing her to see who he was. He was a young limbless boy who looked like a younger version of the late Rayman. His black eyes contained a bitter, cynical nature as he scrutinized the fairy. 

"Well, you don't look like a Soul Hunter." The boy said at last. "You can come with us, but only temporarily." 

"Don't worry, Kevin, I won't stay long without your permission."

The boy eyed her in shock. "How… how did you know my name? Have we met before?" 

"I'll reveal everything to you when we get to your home." Ly assured him. 

"Alright." The boy, Kevin, said moodily. "You're going to have to wear a blindfold, though. Orion, if you will."

Orion tore another piece of cloth from his garment, tying it into a bandana and gently placing it over Ly's eyes. 

"Come with us, Ly." Orion said to the temporarily blinded fairy. "I'll guide you." 

Ly grabbed onto Orion's hand and walked along with him, guided by the sound of his footsteps. After a while of stumbling along on the dry earth, her guide and Kevin suddenly stopped. 

"You can take it off now." Kevin's told her. 

Quickly undoing the bandana, Ly gazed ahead of her. A large, dead tree stood ahead of her, its barren branches reaching towards the sky. Kevin went to the side of the tree, placing his hand inside of a hole and turning a well-hidden knob. A secret door in the side of the tree then swung open, revealing the traces of a dwelling.

"Here we are, Ly." Kevin said, stepping inside. "Now, why don't you tell us what you came here for and how you know my name inside of here."

"Don't worry, I will." Ly replied, smiling as she stepped inside of his home. It had been so long since she was in any form of dwelling.


	4. The Lost Soul

AN: The plot thickens! Anyway, I only own Kevin, Orion and Fenris in this chapter, so don't sue me for using Rayman characters, okay? Now, let's get started…

Chapter 3: The Lost Soul

Kevin's home was a very Spartan dwelling, as Ly soon found out. Their home contained no chairs, so the only table in the dwelling was low enough for them all to use sitting down. The home also contained no beds, sporting only a few sleeping bags for Kevin and Orion to use. Ly sat down with Kevin at the table as Orion prepared some soup for them in clay bowls. 

"I guess you were wondering why we don't have much here." Kevin said, answering her question before she asked it. "We're being chased constantly by the Soul Hunters, so we can't afford to establish a permanent home."

"I was going to ask about that." Ly replied. 

"Now that I've answered your question, I want you to answer mine. How do you know my name? And why are you here?"

"You may or may not know this, Kevin, but I'm a fairy. I and my people were created thousands of years ago by the great Polokus in order to watch over the world and keep it safe in case of danger. Thus, I was born with a special connection to the Heart of the World, allowing me to feel what it feels and communicate with it. When Fenris began to drain the life of the world, however, I began to lose that connection until I had finally lost all contact with the Heart.

"One day, however, I was given a dream by the Heart. For the first time in fifteen years, I felt hopeful for the future and full of life again. It told me that despite all of the death and decay, a part of it still lived. A descendent of Rayman, our greatest hero, still lived and could help restore the world."

Ly took a deep breath as she turned to look at Kevin. "That descendent, Kevin, is you." 

Kevin stared at her in stony silence. "What do you want from me?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.

"You're the only hope for the world, Kevin." She said pleadingly. "Your father inherited his powers from the Heart, and so can you! You need to see the Heart, because only you can save us all from extinction! Kevin, will you help us?"

Kevin sighed. "So you want me to leave here, go meet this Heart, and risk my life for a bunch of people I know nothing about?"

"Yes! Don't you see? You're the only one who can save the lives of the people of this world!" 

"Save their lives?" Kevin thundered. "It doesn't matter at all what I do! Even if I get rid of Fenris and the Soul Hunters, people will still die and be miserable! And what will happen to the world? Have you thought that far ahead?

"And furthermore, I don't think you know what you're asking! If you think that I can just go up to Fenris and kill him, you're dead wrong. It would be suicide! Do you even care about what happens to me?"

Ly stared incredulously at the angry young man. She had never imagined that a son of Rayman could be so bitter and spiteful. "But… but… oh, what's the use." She sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I don't believe you, Kevin. Your father would have never acted like this! He would have gone out to help the people! He understood the value of life!"

"Oh, he's so much better than me, isn't he!" Kevin sneered, fueled by new rage. "'Your father wouldn't have done that?' 'Your father would have helped those strangers!' Well, let me tell you what, hon, I'm not dad! People like you are always telling me what I should and shouldn't do! Well, guess what? I'm sick and tired of it all! Just shut up and let me live me own life!" 

Something snapped in Ly that instant. "You… I can't believe you! You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you? You just want to sit in here while it's safe, watching everyone around you die as you sit here in perfect safety! You and your selfish ways are no different from Fenris!"

Kevin's face immediately told Ly that she had struck a nerve. "Get out."

"What?" Ly asked. 

"Get out!" Kevin roared. "I will not have you staying here and insulting me! Now go!" 

Ly stared at him for a moment. Suddenly, Kevin recoiled after being struck by the fairy's stinging slap. She then turned and ran out of the tree.

Orion stood in the middle of the room, staring at Kevin after his outburst. "You too! Get out!" Kevin roared at Orion. Shrugging, Orion walked out of the house as the young man sat sulking.

*******

Ly wasn't too hard for Orion to find. He followed the path of silvery tears until he reached a dead oak where the fairy stood, silently weeping. 

Ly turned around, her face hard with determination and anger. "Oh. It's you." She sighed, turning around again. "Why didn't you help me in there, Orion?"

Orion didn't respond. "He wasn't always like that, you know." He said as he sat down by Ly.

"What do you mean?"

"Kevin never knew the world that we grew up in." Orion said, placing his arm around Ly's shoulder. "He has known nothing but death and despair. The only memories he has of his father are his death at Fenris' hands."

"That's still no excuse!" Ly said angrily. "He's the most selfish, inconsiderate…" 

"Ly, there's more to him than you know." Orion interrupted her. "I know him better than anyone else. On the day his father died, his mother and I carried him away from Fenris and the destruction. We lived nomadically, resting only when we needed to.

"One day, the Hunters found us. We ran as fast as we could, but Orchid was too slow. The Hunters found her and…" He paused for a second, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"Kevin was always so full of life. After seeing his mother die, a part of him died as well. He no longer cared about life or anything else, lashing out whenever he got depressed. He no longer wanted to hear about his father or about anything else. He still lives, but sometimes I think he would be better off dead."

Ly let his words sink in as another shimmering tear slide down her cheek. "I never knew that Orchid…"

"Why don't you come back, Ly?" Orion asked her. "I'm sure he's sorry for his outburst and would apologize if you returned."

"No, I'll just stay here for tonight." Ly sighed. 

"Alright." Orion nodded. "I'll go back and have a talk with him."

"And… Orion?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"Tell him that… I'm sorry about all that has happened. I just hope that he'll give it a chance."

"I will." Orion said, walking towards the tree home. Ly stared at him as he disappeared into the forest, thinking about Kevin and his life. 


End file.
